Lost and Found
by ShaylaStar
Summary: A girl the exact opposite of Kiba is forced to work with him to recover something dear to her. How will this pan out? Read and find out!


**Lost and Found**

**Warning to readers: Kiba is WAY off character in this story. I tend to make the characters off when I'm writing a love story. He's in character in some places but not many, so if you like him in character, DO NOT READ THIS!!! I don't want to read any complain-y comments either. If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything. Oh, it doesn't fallow the story line either. I think that's it...oh, wait, nope. The Naruto characters are 15 years old, instead of 12. That's all...Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**A Lonely Cat and a Friendly Dog**

My name is Mahira Neko. I'm 15 years old and have been ordered to go to the Ninja training academy. I already graduated at a different academy but the Hokage transferred me to a different school due to the incident that happened but a year ago. My sister, Hokorashii Neko, killed both of my parents. I am from the Neko clan, obviously, and we specialize in breeding ninja cats. We also developed cat-like abilities. Kikai, my ninja cat, is the most important thing in my life. He is always at my side. Lets move on to my physical appearance. I have shoulder-length, wavy brown hair. I have blue eyes and I wear a loose fitting, gray and blue dress with slits on both sides. I also have dark blue shorts underneath for easy movement and so I can flip around without revealing anything. I wear my headband around my thigh so I can style my hair. I usually wear my hair in a loosely tied pony-tail with long bangs framing my face. My clan sign is on the back of my dress. It is a yellow triangle with three purple lines going through each side with a red circle in the middle and the lines are weaving in and out of the circle and the triangle. It was the night before the graduation at the Ninja academy when I arrived at my new home.

"Wow, this whole place is just for me?" I asked Hokage.

"Yes, take care of it." He said.

"This is nice, thank you. So, when is orientation?" I asked. I new where it was but I had not been told when it was.

"It is at 7:00 in the morning." Hokage said.

"I'll be there." I said. Hokage waved and closed the door to the house. It was a good size and all to me and Kikai, who was checking out the bedroom. He was an average sized cat that had gray and white tabby stripes all over his body. It made him look like a cat made out of fuzzy marble. His face was my favorite part. He had stripes that outlined his nose and blue eyes and made a cool design on his white cheeks. His ears were gray except for a little spot on the back of his right ear that looked kind of like a pearly white heart. He was the only kitten that had this mark so that was why I chose him. I think of him as my good luck charm. I went into the bedroom and put my stuff on the floor and pulled my hair out of the ponytail and let it flow freely around my face. Kikai jumped on the bed and I jumped on next to him. I sighed and crawled under the blankets. Kikai curled up next to me and we both fell asleep.

_I was running through the woods. Kikai ran in the trees with me._

_"You won't escape me, Mahira!" My sister yelled from close behind me. I took a sharp corner and hid in a small crevice under a rock. I held Kikai close to me. I saw her feet walk in front of the rock. I held my breath. She bent down and I saw her face and her eyes; tinted with evil. _

_"Found you." She sang. She smiled, evilly and took Kikai so fast, I didn't even see her grab him. She was holding him by the scruff of his neck and held a kunai to his neck. _

_"NO!" I screamed. She stood up so I couldn't see her face or Kikai. I heard a sickening sound of a blade being slit across an animal. I then saw blood drip in front of me and then Kikai fell lifelessly in front of me, covered in blood. She threw the kunai under the rock and I..._

sat strait up in bed. The sun was pouring through the windows. Kikai sat on my legs with a worried look on his face. I picked him up and hugged him just to make sure that was just a dream and Kikai was still alive. I got out of bed and stretched. Kikai jumped down and ran into the kitchen. I got dressed and fallowed him. I put some of my homemade cat food in his bowl and gave myself a bowl of cereal. Once I finished eating, I went into the bathroom and put my hair in my favorite style. I then brushed my teeth and washed my face. I walked out of the house, after locking the door from the inside. Kikai enjoyed it when I held him because he was too lazy to want to walk himself so I carried him to the academy with me. We arrived and the class was almost full. I saw an interesting event occur before I even sat down. A boy dressed in orange was squatting on the table glaring at another boy with black hair that was spiked in the back. Someone in the row before, leaned back and bumped the orange kid and he fell forward and kissed the guy he was glaring at. I laughed and then I saw that all the girls beat the orange kid up. I rolled my eyes and sat down. Kikai lied down on the table in front of me. I rested my head on my hands and waited for class to start. There was still people coming in, though. Suddenly, someone sat next to me. I looked over with pure curiosity (a cat thing). A boy sat beside me. He wore a gray sweater with the hood up. On the hood rim and the cuffs of the sweater, there was black fluff. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"You must be new." He said.

"Yeah." I said as I looked ahead.

"Crap." He said. I looked at him and he was staring at Kikai.

"What?" I asked.

"I hate cats." He said, grimly.

"Well, too bad. If you hated them so much, you shouldn't have sat next to me." I said as I focused my attention to the chalk board once more.

"Grrr!" I heard from next to me. I looked over, quickly.

"Akamaru, quit!" He said.

"Bark, bark!" A little dog popped up out of his sweater.

"I know, but you have to control yourself." He said, clearly talking to the little white dog sticking out of his shirt. Kikai stood up and ruffled his fur. He jumped into my lap.

"Meow! _A dog! Mahira help me!_" Kikai said. Since I was from the Neko clan, I knew what Kikai said while everyone else just heard a meow or hiss.

"Its okay, Kikai, the dog won't hurt you and get away with it." I said.

"Whine." Akamaru said.

"Akamaru, just chill." The boy ordered.

"Hiss! _Mahira, that stupid dog smells!_" Kikai complained.

"Well, duh!" I said. Kikai glared at me. He lied down in my lap but never took his eyes off the dog.

"So what's your name?" The boy asked.

"Tell me your's first." I said.

"Okay. I am Kiba Inuzuka and this is Akamaru, my ninja dog. Now, your turn." He said. I sighed.

"My name is Mahira Neko and this is Kikai, my ninja cat." I said.

"Meow! _How could you?! How can you trust this guy? He has a __**dog**__! He __**IS **__a dog!_" Kikai said.

"I can trust him. Stop being so paranoid." I said. Kiba smiled. Iruka stepped to the front of the classroom. I know Iruka because Hokage told me all about him.

"Today, I will put you in your groups and assign you a Jônin. We'll start with Cell 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Then, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Finally, we have Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Mahira Neko. You will continue normal training for the next month at 9-11 and then I will set you loose with your new Jônin." Iruka said.

"Meow! _This is not good, NOT GOOD! We're on the same team as that __**dog**_" Kikai said.

"I know. I guess you guys have to become friends." I said.

"Akamaru, quit complaining. I guess you have a new friend." Kiba said as he smiled at me, showing off his small fangs. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you want to have lunch with me today?" Kiba whispered as Iruka taught the lesson.

"Sure." I whispered back. I heard Kikai let out a low growl.

"Quit!" Kiba and I whispered to our pets at the same time. For some reason I felt my face grow red and I looked away. Eventually, the lesson was over. I walked out of the academy and waited for Kiba. He exited and walked over to me. Kikai was lying in my arms and Akamaru was in Kiba's sweater. We walked next to each other as we strolled down the path headed for Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"So, why are you here in the first place?" Kiba asked. I noticed he had his hands in his pockets and was looking at me for a response.

"Um...my sister." I said, looking away from his innocent puppy dog face.

"Your sister?" He asked.

"Yeah, my sister. She...killed my parents." I said. I felt tears in my eyes. I couldn't help it. I sat down on a bench and tried to stop crying. It was no use, I felt the tears stream down my cheeks. Kiba sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't cry, Mahira." He said, trying his best to comfort me.

"Grrr!" Akamaru growled.

"Akamaru, this is hardly the time." Kiba growled.

"Hiss! _Stay away from Mahira, you beast!_" Kikai said.

"Kikai, quit. I need all the support I can get. Besides, I don't want you scaring away this one like you did the last." I said.

"The last?" Kiba said.

"Bark!" Akamaru said.

"Akamaru! Since when have you gotten so rude?! Leave her alone." Kiba said.

"Meow. _Mahira, don't explain. Can't you see? He's just trying to win your heart like all the other boys in the last academy. Don't fall for it, it's just an act._" Kikai said.

"Its not an act, is it Kiba?" I asked.

"What?" He asked.

"You being so nice to me." I said.

"An act? Why would it be an act?" He said. I stood up and Kikai jumped in my arms again.

"We better get going." I said as I wiped the rest of my tears away. He stood up next to me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked with a worried look.

"Yeah, for now." I said. I smiled at him and we walked further down the path. We arrived shortly and sat down.

"How may I help you two?" The guy asked. Kiba looked at me. I looked at the menu on the wall behind the clerk.

"I'll just have some salmon flavored ramen, please." I said.

"Ew." Kiba said under his breath. I smiled. Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's sweater and on to the table where Kikai now lied.

"Bark, bark, whine!" Akamaru said. I noticed that Kiba didn't even notice, he just continued to order. Kikai stood and arched his back.

"Hiss! _Stay away from me, you __**mutt**_" Kikai said. I was about to grab Kikai, but he settled down as Akamaru whined. The perfect match, a dog and a cat. I looked at Kiba as he slurped down ramen.

_I can't believe I'm thinking this but, he looks kind of cute. I mean, not __**really **__cute but, kind of cute. Akamaru and Kikai seem to be getting along quite well, too. Besides, I can't screw this up for myself. He's my first friend in, what seems like, forever. I do wonder, however, what he's hiding underneath that hood. I've heard of some clans growing ears like their ninja pets. I don't have them but, does he? Or, what if he has really bad hair or none at all?_ I thought. Kiba turned and caught me staring at him, deep in thought.

"What?" He said, mouth half full. I snapped back to reality.

"Nothing, nothing." I lied.

"You haven't even touched your ramen. Is something wrong?" He said, once he swallowed.

"I was just wondering; what's under your hood?" I asked. He smiled and pulled down the fluffy, gray, sweater hood. I wasn't really prepared for what I saw. A full head of rich brown hair. It was spiked a little and was adorable. In places, it hung over his ninja headband.

"Nice, huh?" He said with a smile.

"What? Oh...yeah." I said, looking away. I nibbled at my ramen, if that's even possible.

"You seem kind of distracted." He said. I looked at him and he had worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine, really." I said. He laughed silently to himself. Kikai stood and walked over to me.

"Meow! _I really think this guy's the one._" He said.

"Kikai, just a minute ago, you hated him." I said.

"Meow. _I know but, I've given it some thought and he's perfect. The perfect match, a dog and a cat._" He said.

"Yeah, I know, I know. I just don't think..." I said.

"Meow. _You're impossible! I have an idea._" Kikai said. I was suspicious but, quickly decided that I shouldn't be. I trusted Kikai to make the right decisions. Kikai lied back down in front of Akamaru. As his ear twitched, I saw the little heart flash. I couldn't hear what Kikai was saying and I didn't really care. I ate the rest of my ramen. Akamaru suddenly got really excited and jumped onto Kiba's lap. Kikai gave the satisfied-cat look. I looked at Kiba and, the more his dog talked to him, the more he blushed. He looked up at me with shock. I gave him a confused look.

"Are you sure?" He whispered to Akamaru. The dog whined. He blushed even more and looked away from me.

"What did you say?" I growled at Kikai. He gave me a look that was the equivalent to smiling.

"Meow. _Nothing you will regret._" He said.

"I'm already regretting it! He won't even _look _at me!" I whispered, angrily.

"You, kids want anything else?" Ichiraku asked.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. How about you, Kiba?" I asked. He stole a quick glance.

"No, I better go." He said, leaving the money on the table. Kikai hopped in my arms and I caught up with Kiba.

"What the hell is you issue, all of a sudden? You take me out to lunch and then you refuse to look at me. What's your trip?" I asked. He pulled up his hood.

"I really have to go." He said. I had had enough of his. I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around so I could see his face. He was still blushing.

"Explain." I growled.

"Fine." He growled back. I stood there and waited.

"Look, I don't feel the same as you. I'm sorry, but I don't. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you forever, either." He said in a rush. I just stood there, rooted to the spot with both anger and embarrassment. I felt my face get hot.

"What?!" I glared at Kikai intensely.

"You said that you wouldn't say anything that I would regret!" I said to Kikai.

"Hiss! _YOU WON'T! I know what I'm doing!_" Kikai said.

"No you don't! This same thing scared off my last real friend! I can't lose Kiba too!" I said. I was so angry, that I forgot that Kiba was standing right there. I felt angry tears in my eyes.

"Hiss! _The last one wasn't worth it! This one should be able to see past all distractions and still remain your friend!_" Kikai argued.

"All you're doing is ruining my friendship and you could ruin the team too!" I said. Kikai jumped off my arms and landed gracefully on the ground.

"Meow. _Fine, you don't need me then. I never thought that I would have to do this, but it's your choice. If you don't trust me then you don't have to. Good-bye, Mahira. I hope that you can find the one on your own._" Kikai said. Only then, did I realize what I had done. But, by then, Kikai had vanished. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Kikai had always been kind of dramatic but had never done this before.

"No." I whispered in defeat. I felt something nudge my leg. I looked down and saw Akamaru standing there, wagging his tail, pitifully. I then, remembered that Kiba was still there. I looked up at him and he wasn't blushing nearly as bad any more.

"Mahira?" He asked.

"Go away! Just, go away!" I said as I cried. I saw a convenient bench and sat down. I had lost the most important thing to me because I was stupid enough to doubt him.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back." Kiba said, taking the space next to me. I looked up at Kiba's face. All of a sudden, I wanted Kiba to hold me and I wanted to feel safe inside his arms. I knew that wouldn't happen simply by the way he reacted to the cruel, gossip. I looked away from him and I felt his arms wrap around me. It surprised me for a second, then it seemed...natural. I allowed him to hold me.

"Bark!" Akamaru stated. Then, I heard little pads running off into the woods.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Why what?" Kiba asked, letting go of me.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You just said that you didn't like me. Well, I don't _like _you either, but still, why?" I asked. He looked a little shocked.

"Well, because I guess I understand how it would feel. I couldn't handle losing Akamaru. He's my buddy." Kiba said. I looked at the edge of the forest and saw Akamaru staring inside, not daring to venture in without his master.

"Kikai was the only thing I had left." I said.

"Yeah. I know this must feel horrible." Kiba said, resting his arm around my shoulders. I turned and cried on his shoulder. I felt him rest his head on mine.

"What am I suppose to do now?" I asked.

"I don't know. You do have friends, or actually, you have _a _friend so far. Please forgive me." Kiba said.

"For what?" I asked, looking up at him.

"This is all my fault." He said.

"No, its not." I said, resting my head on his shoulder. He pulled me closer.

_Wow, this is kind of...nice. Kiba is so awesome. So kind and understanding. He's going to make a great friend. _I thought.

**Chapter 2**

**A Legend...Or Is It?**

The next day was interesting. Kiba and I decided to skip school today to go looking for Kikai. We thought that Iruka would understand. I met Kiba at noon. He was sitting at the park bench, just as planned...only there was something different about him. He had his gray sweater tied around his waist and he was wearing a fishnet T-shirt that he looked particularly good in. He looked at me and smiled. I was wearing something a little different too. Instead of my normal slit dress, I was wearing a dark red sweater and blue jeans. I had my hair down and my head band was around my neck.

"Hey, Mahira. You know what I just noticed?" He said when I sat next to him.

"What?" I said.

"Hinata wears her headband just like that." He said.

"Well, there are only a few ways to wear a headband." I said.

"That's very true. Hey, do think we'll be in trouble if we get caught?" He asked. I looked at him. What a stupid question.

"Of coarse! But, I'm the kind of girl who likes a little risk." I said. He smiled and blushed a little bit.

"Well, I brought lunch...or breakfast...or brunch. Whatever you want to call it." He said. I laughed quietly as he handed me a box. I opened it and saw a full variety of foods from rice cakes to noodles.

"Wow, did you make this?" I asked.

"Nah. My sister made it for you." He said. I was so hungry that I didn't ask any more questions.

"Oh, my God, Kiba! This is delicious!" I said with my mouth full. He snickered but tried to make it so I didn't see.

"I guess that I'll have to tell sis that you liked it." He said. I just nodded my head, taking a big bite of fresh sushi. He just smiled. I finished faster than I wanted to. I was a little disappointed when I saw that there wasn't anything left in the little box.

"What's the matter?" Kiba asked, catching my disappointed expression.

"Nothing. I just didn't want to finish it so soon." I said. He looked quite satisfied with himself. I looked at him, confused at his pride.

"What?" He asked when he saw my look. When he did, I found that he looked really cute in that pose. He was looking at me strait in the eye. He had his hands behind his neck and his back strait.

"Why are you so proud?" I asked. He just smiled.

"Well, I made you lunch." He said.

"But I thought you said your sister made it." I asked.

"I wanted to make sure that you liked it first, so I said my sister made it just in case you didn't like it." He said.

_How exactly does that make sense? _I thought. I just dropped the subject. I didn't really care if it made sense, it was sweet. I smiled.

"Thanks. It was wonderful." I said. He again made a face that said 'Man, I'm good'. I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"We better start looking." I said. He stood up next to me.

"Alright. Where do you want to start?" He asked.

"In the woods." I said. I really had no idea. We started walking the path that would bring us to the woods. While we were walking, he stayed silent.

"So, what do you see in Akamaru?" I asked. The little dog was walking at Kiba's heels and barked happily.

"He's my pal. He's just awesome." Kiba said, smiling at the dog.

"I see. So, do you have parents?" I asked.

"Well, I have a mom." He said.

"No dad?" I asked.

"Nope. My dad died while fighting the great Nine-Tailed Fox demon." Kiba said.

( _Hey, everyone reading! Um...I don't really know what happened to Kiba's dad or if he has one. Even though, according to an online quiz he's my sexy boyfriend, I'm still learning about him. If you know anything about his dad, I would like to know! Please continue! )_

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I said.

"It's okay. You don't have anyone." Kiba noted. That was true but I didn't want any sympathy.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have-"

"No, it's fine." Kiba said, looking me in the eye. I looked away and he decided to change the subject.

"So, why did Kikai say that you liked me so much?" He asked with a look of amusement.

"Oh, I don't know. I think he thought that you were the one." I said.

"The one?" He asked.

"Yeah. There's a story that has been passed down the Neko clan. If one of the girls in the clan finds the one special boy, they will overcome the Ultimate Evil. It is said that that this special boy is part dog or has characteristics of a dog. If he comes into the Neko family he will stop it. Apparently, Kikai think that you're this boy." I said. Kiba looked surprised.

"So, he thought that I'm the boy that will stop this Ultimate Evil?" He asked.

"Yeah. Kikai has been doing this all my boyfriends...m-m-my friends that are boys. They were all scared to be around me after they found out. I didn't want to lose you too." I said. Kiba still looked kind of confused.

"What exactly is the Ultimate Evil?" He asked. I felt my stomach tie into a million uncomfortable knots.

"I don't want to tell you." I said.

"Why?" He asked, just like I thought he might.

"Because, I don't want to scare you away." I said, looking up at the sky.

"I won't go anywhere." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Alright, but you have to promise to stay my friend." I said. He smiled, again showing off his fangs.

"I promise." He said.

"The Ultimate Evil is a deadly mystery that has been haunting our clan for ages. It works almost like the plagues but it goes for one person and is completely unstoppable. First, the person loses her ninja cat, which represents vulnerability. Then, that person experiences deep interest in the first person she contacts after the cat is lost. After that person has fallen in love and has let her guard down, the Ultimate Evil attacks the relationship. Once the person is completely alone, it kills them. Now, I haven't heard very many details on it so I may be wrong but, if the special boy, or the Daiichi, is strong enough, he will be able to resist it. Not only that, the ninja cat is suppose to help the victim keep the Evil away. You see, cats are the Ultimate Protectors of our people and when they are separated from their chosen person, that person becomes unprotected and the Evil sees it's opportunity. The person experiences deep interest do to the involuntary need for a protector. However, a boy (except the Daiichi) is unable to protect the victim from the Evil. Now, each 'plague' is different for each person but that's what happened to my Aunt. She was lucky." I said.

"Lucky?"

"Yeah, usually the Evil is much more horrific and the person usually suffers much more than she did. The Evil has a way of making it's plagues different so the person doesn't really know that she had been chosen as the next victim. The one plague that it always starts with is the missing cat. But, some of the people in the clan lose their cat yet end up finding it. If they find it, they know that they weren't hit." I said.

"Why is it only the girls?" Kiba asked.

"Well, that hasn't really been figured out yet but we think that the girls end up having more insecurity and more of a chance of letting their guard down once they are alone. Nobody in the clan really has any other conclusion." I said.

"Why does it have to be a dog person?" Kiba asked another question. I really did enjoy answering his questions.

"Because dogs are extremely loyal. They will not leave their masters side until death. Thats why they can defeat the Ultimate Evil. It's said that if the Ultimate Evil chooses it's victim but fails to destroy her with the last plague, whatever it may be, then it will vanish forever and our clan will be free. None of our people have been courageous enough to make friends with a dog person, let alone be with them forever." I said. When I looked at Kiba, I saw a hint of red on his face as I talked about it. It was obvious that this particular answer made him uncomfortable.

"So, this is why you want to find Kikai so badly?" He asked.

"That and he's my best friend." I said. Kiba nodded with an expression that said 'true'. I looked around and found that we were in the middle of the forest. I hadn't even noticed.

"How do you know so much about the Ultimate Evil?" He asked.

"I told you. It's a story that has been passed down through the generations. Well, it's not really a story because it's happened before. I guess you just have to call it a mystery. We named it Samui." I said with a smile.

"I see. Well, good luck with all that." He said.

_What? He doesn't even care? I thought maybe...well...oh, who cares. I've never considered myself as a hero in the Neko clan. Actually, I consider myself as quite a coward. _I thought. I sighed in defeat.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought...never mind." I said.

"No, why are you so sad all of a sudden?" He asked.

_God! He can be so oblivious! _I thought, rolling my eyes. He dropped it and looked the other way.

"So...um...what's your sister's name?" I asked, trying to start conversation.

"It's Hana." Kiba said.

"Do you think it suits her?" I asked.

"You know, you should come and meet her sometime. You two seem a lot alike." He said. I thought for a minute, considering the option. Then, I realized what that would require me to do. I would have to go to Kiba's house. I blushed and put my hands in my pockets. Kiba looked at me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him look away, also realizing what he had said.

"I mean, you and her could...you know, go to the park or something. You could talk and stuff." He said. I smiled, but hid it.

"That sounds nice. Not as nice as seeing your house. Do you have a big house?" I asked, trying to make things a little more comfortable between the two of us.

"Not really. It's pretty average." He said.

"Huh. Well, I have a huge house." I bragged, seeing how he would react to what he does every day.

"Are you rich or something?" He asked.

"No. Hokage's letting me live in it. He knows my situation and he thought that I needed at least a house." I said.

"Wow. One of the Hokage's mansions? All to a girl that's...um...15, right?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yep. All to me...and guests." I said.

"Guests? Are you living with others?" He asked.

"No. I thought I might make some new friends. My birthday is in a few days and I thought that I might have made enough friends to have a party. I guess I was giving myself a little too much popularity credit." I said with a weak smile.

"Nah, you were just to busy with me to meet anyone else." He said with a proud expression.

"Your right. Your just the coolest person in the whole world." I said with as much sarcasm as I could. We both looked at each other and burst into laughter. I hadn't really laughed for a long time. It felt natural.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He said, still giggling.

"You keep telling yourself that." I said. He smiled, sighed and looked up at the canopy of trees.

"It's really beautiful." I said, looking around the forest. Kiba looked at me and then looked away. I could have sworn that I heard him mutter to himself,

"Not as beautiful as you." But I had a feeling that was just my imagination.

"You know...this could take days." I said.

"Yeah, I know." He said. That surprised me.

"Do you have anything you need to do during this time? Like, maybe, taking care of your sister or training or something?" I asked. He looked at me.

"No." He said, simply.

"Oh, really? Back in my old village, I was loaded with stuff that I had to do." I said.

"You just want to get rid of me." He said. He was smirking.

"No! I-I mean, I was just curious." I said. He gave me an expression that was a mix of "I don't believe you" and "that's sweet". A squirrel passed in the trees above us.

Eventually it was night. The sky was dark and the forest was ominous. The trees hiding the creatures in the darkness behind them. Kiba decided to stay with me all night. We made a fire and sat in the leaves around the fire. We were in very precisely comfortable positions. I was sitting by the fire, holding my legs to my chest. Kiba was leaning against the tree with his arm resting on his leg which was upright, unlike the other one, while his other arm was across his lap.

"I'm amazed." I said.

"Why?" An obvious question.

"You stuck with a cat all night." I said, staring into the fire.

"Well, yeah. You need my help, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes, but I never thought you actually would." I said, looking at him. He sighed.

"I knew you needed a friend as soon as I saw you." He said. "Your eyes...so...lonely."

"Really?" I asked, a small smile growing on my face. "Why did you want to be my friend? I had a cat. I _am _a cat." I asked, purposely twisting Kikai's quote.

"So? Dogs don't really hate cats, but we know that cats hate us, so we act." He said.

"You act?"

"Yeah, we act as if we hate them too, even though all we want is another friend." He said, smiling and looking at me. "Why did you accept me?" He asked. I looked at the ground and giggled.

"The curse and...and...never mind." I said, still smiling.

"What?" He asked. I could hear the smile in his voice. I looked at him.

"I thought you were cute." I said. This took him by surprise but he quickly recovered and smiled.

"Well, don't I feel loved." He said and we both laughed. I looked up at the stars through the trees.

"Wow. I never thought that I would see the day that I would be spending the night under the stars with a dog-boy." I said, still smiling.

"Yeah, me neither. I mean, with a cat." He said. I yawned. I looked at the sleeping Akamaru, curled up by Kiba.

"Isn't he so awesome." Kiba said, apparently fallowing my gaze.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Did you know that Kikai was a good luck charm?" I said.

"No. What makes him so special?" He asked.

"When I picked him out of the litter, he was the only one with a little white heart on his ear. He was different and he's been full of good luck." I said.

"That's cool. Akamaru chose me." Kiba said.

"Your ninja dogs choose their owner?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was really little when he did." He said.

( _I'm sorry to interrupt the romantic moment that the two are having but I don't want any know-it-alls getting mad at me. I don't know if that's how Kiba really got Akamaru. If you do, please let me know. Oh, no offense to anybody who really does know it all about Kiba. _)

"I wonder if Kikai's okay. What if he was eaten by a bear or something?" I said.

"Nah, Kikai's a smart cat. He'll stay out of trouble." Kiba said. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I sure hope so." I said.

"Don't worry. Why don't you get some sleep?" Kiba said. I nodded, feeling how tired I really was. As I was about to lie down, Kiba grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.

"Hang on a sec." He said. He untied his sweater from his waist and folded it up into a rectangle. I instantly understood what he was trying to do.

"Kiba, you don't have to-"

"It's fine. I don't need it anyway." He said as he lied the sweater on the ground. I lied down on the sweater and it made a pretty nice pillow.

"Thank you." I said.

"Just go to sleep. We have quite a day ahead of us." He said as I heard him lie down below me. I smiled and closed my eyes.

_"Mahira." Kiba said from deep inside the darkness of the forest._

_"Kiba, where are you, I'm scared." I said, walking randomly through the threatening trees that loomed high above me in the blackness of the night. I heard a howl in the same direction as Kiba's voice. It wasn't the normal howl, however. It was more like a dying animal, screaming in pain. _

_"Kiba! Kiba, help me!" I said, hearing things crawl at my feet. I looked down to find millions of rats running on the forest floor._

_"RATS!" I screamed, now running past the mockingly similar trees._

_"It's okay, Mahira. I'm here." I heard him say._

_"Help me, Kiba!" I begged to the blackness._

_"Calm down. Just wake up." I heard him say._

_**Oh, God. Kiba's lost it! ** I thought._

_"Just wake up." Kiba said._

_**I am awake!! You need to help me. **I thought._

_"Come back." He said. I ran as fast as I could toward his voice. As I ran around a bigger tree, I was stopped in my tracks. Standing in front of me was a pitch black wolf the size of a lion. It's eyes were crazy and its teeth were hungrily showing. An evil smile spread across its face to create a horrifying grin. It then threw it's head back and laughed a deep and scratchy laugh._

_"Kiba, please. Please, help." I whispered desperately._

_"Kiba can't save you now, Mahira." The wolf chuckled, terrifyingly. I looked at it's teeth and saw a familiar gray piece of cloth. I put my hands to my mouth._

_"Oh...oh...Kiba, no. No...please no!" I whispered, fighting the urge to puke. I looked into the monster's eyes. Black, evil, crazy, soulless eyes._

_"Are you ready, my dear." It growled a sick growl. I looked at the cloth hanging from its jaw._

_"Y-yes." I said. The beast walked up to me and soon it was but an inch from my face. I could smell it's pungent breath wash over my face._

_"Kiba, this is for you." I whispered as tears fell down my cheeks._

_"Your turn." It said as it laughed. It opened it's mouth and..._

...I woke with a start. I saw Kiba kneeling over me, obvious worry filled his eyes.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked. I just stared, trying to strait out my thoughts. Once I did, I felt a big smile grow on my face. I shot up toward him and wrapped my arms around him. I couldn't help it.

"Well, someone had a bad dream." Kiba said, hugging me back. I let go and looked at him, wiping off my tears.

"Yeah." I said, sniffling.

"It's okay now, right? You're all better now?" He asked. I nodded with a small smile.

"Good." He said, smiling his normal smile. "Well, I'm not going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon. You know that you talk in your sleep?" He asked.

"No, really? I never would have guessed." I said, sarcastically.

"No, I mean, you REALLY talk in your sleep. I heard every word." He said.

"How would you know? I might have only said some of the things I said in my dream." I said, challengingly.

"That's true. Let's see then. You said, _'Kiba, where are you? I'm scared.'_" At this remark, I blushed a little. "And, _'Kiba! Kiba, help me!' _Which I tried to do, and failed." He said. I knew that he meant that he failed to wake me up. "You also said, _'Help me, Kiba.'_ What else did I hear? Oh, of course, _'Kiba, please. Please help.'_and, _'Oh...oh...Kiba, no. No...please no!' _and, _'Kiba, this is for you.'_" Kiba said. By this point, I was pretty red. I did notice that he only quoted everything I said that had his name in it.

"You forgot two." I said.

"Really."

"Yeah. I also said _'RATS!' _and _'Yes.'_" I said, looking away from his amused look.

"All I know is that a certain cat-girl is thinking an awful lot about a certain dog-boy." He said.

"So? Your my only friend. You've kind of been running through my mind a lot." I said. The look on his face changed to that face someone makes when you say something really stupid and they think it's funny. "Wait...that came out really wrong. Let me try again...I've been with you all yesterday and last night and haven't had anything else to think about." I said. He smiled.

"Oh, just admit it; your crazy about me." He said, with a happy grin.

"Yeah, that's got to be it." I said with overflowing sarcasm.

"Hey, you were the one who said I was cute." He argued.

"That's true, but that doesn't mean anything." I said, standing.

"Yes it does. You just don't know it yet." He said, also standing.

"Can we change the subject, please?" I asked. He just rolled his eyes and started walking to the woods.

"Where are you going?" I asked, terrified. My dream coming back to me.

"Nature calls." He said with a smile. I immediately regretted asking. As Kiba was...doing his business, I decided to pick up his sweater that he let me sleep on, and wipe off all the dirt. I folded it up, nicely and then thought twice. The morning air was freezing, anyway. I shook it out and put it on. It was a little big for me but it was warm. Kiba came back and smiled when he saw me.

**Chapter 3**

**Another Day; Another Misfortune**

"My, my. You look nice in my sweater." He said. I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I'm glad you think so. Do you want it back? I can take it off, if you want." I said. He shook his head.

"Nah, you can wear it." He said, stretching. I sighed.

"Well, lets get going then." I said. He nodded and I walked up beside him as we made our way through the friendlier trees and the shining forest. Akamaru was happily chasing a squirrel around and Kiba and I silently surrendered to the forest's beauty. He put his hands behind his head and smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking." He said.

"About what?" I asked, my cat-like curiosity clearing showing itself.

"About how I'm skipping school to search the forest with a cat-girl to find her lost ninja cat." He said.

"Well, you are. Never thought it would happen to you, did you?" I asked.

"No. I didn't even think I would ever meet a cat-girl. You've definitely proved yourself." He said.

"Proved myself? Proved myself to what?" I asked.

"You've proved that cats aren't as solitary as they seem. I mean, I never thought you would even talk to me when I sat next to you at the academy." He said with a smile.

"I was thinking about ignoring you." I said.

"Really? Well, I'm glad you didn't. I didn't have many friends." He said.

"Is that so? You act as if you're all that. I figured you probably were." I said. He laughed.

"Yeah. Well, whatever. If people don't like me...they are _so_ missing out." He said, smiling and looking at me for an agreement of some sort.

"Uh huh. If you say so." I said. I looked at him to see if he got the joke. He wasn't smiling anymore even though he was in the same pose.

"I-I'm sorry. It was a joke, they really would be missing out." I said. He smiled at me. This smile was different. I saw...as crazy as it may sound...love. I wasn't sure if it was just me...until...I heard what he said.

"You're really different." He said, without smiling but with kind eyes.

"How so?" I asked.

"You're so nice to me. Heh, listen to me. I'm such a dork." He said with a smile.

"Okay, whatever you say." I said, smiling at him. I had never felt like this before. I felt happy, full, and absolutely wonderful.

As we walked through the woods, barely paying attention to any animals, something caught my eye. I looked over only to see a black tail disappear into the bushes. I began to walk closer to Kiba, who wasn't aware of the lurking danger...or was it? I heard the grass rustle as we walked and I walked even closer to Kiba, my only protector. I heard a snarl from the bushes and I grabbed Kiba's arm, never taking my eyes off of the bush. Kiba turned and I heard him sniff the air.

"Akamaru!" He said, sternly and the little dog was ready by his side in half a second.

"Kiba, do you smell it?" I whispered. A cat doesn't have a sense of smell like a dog, but they do have one stronger than humans. So, when I focus on a certain smell, it comes very strong.

"Yeah, it smells terrible. Do you know what it is?" He whispered.

"No." I said, clinging to his arm. He got into a fighting stance as the...whatever it was moved closer to us in the bushes. Suddenly, it sprang from the bushes. I flung myself away from Kiba as the wolf landed on top of him. I scrambled backward as the two wrestled. Akamaru just stood.

_What is that stupid dog doing? He should be helping Kiba! _I thought. I knew my thoughts were in vain...so I decided to do something. I stood up and jumped on the wolf's back. I pried him off of Kiba. As I jumped off of the black mass of fur, I realized painfully that now the beast's attention was focused on me. My dream flashed before my eyes as the beast inched toward me. I had nothing to fight with. My claws weren't strong enough to do significant damage and I wouldn't dare get close enough to bite. I couldn't even do any good jutsus without my cat. I held my arms in front of me and backed away slowly. I saw Kiba struggling to get up.

_Well, at least I saved Kiba. Now I need to save me. _I thought uselessly. The black wolf opened it's jaws to consume me. I saw Kiba jump onto the back of it and angrily stabbed his claws into it's side. It yelped and threw Kiba off his back. Kiba landed painfully on the ground. The wolf jumped at me and I felt it's claws on my chest as I was knocked to the ground. But that wasn't the worst part. I soon felt the burn of it's fangs sinking into my shoulder. I screamed in pain. My vision was blurred with pain but I did feel pressure lifted off my chest. I heard Kiba fight off the wolf but I wasn't really paying attention. The pain in my shoulder had spread throughout my whole body in a matter of seconds. Sooner or later I felt my position change to a partial sitting position.

"Oh my God! Are you okay? What am I saying; of course your not." He said half to himself. I felt horrible pressure on the wound of my shoulder. I tried to move away from the pain.

"No. Stop moving, do you want to bleed to death?" He asked. I felt sick. I pushed away from Kiba and puked all over the ground.

"We need to get you help. Here, eat this." He said. He forced a little sphere into my mouth. I chewed and swallowed, hardly even knowing what I was doing.

"That should stop the bleeding for a while and get you back on your feet." He said. I lied in his arms for only a moment before I felt better than ever. I could see clearly and I was glad of it...until I sat up. I looked around once only to see that the wolf was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the wolf?" I asked. Kiba got a grim look on his face.

"It got away." He said, looking away from me.

"What?" I asked, standing up quickly. Kiba stood up just as quick.

"Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself even more. You may feel great but it's only temporary. If you hurt yourself more, you'll feel it later." Kiba said, grabbing my arm gently.

"Don't you get it?!" I asked, angry now. "It'll come back! It's-it's-it's going to-"

"Be fine. Just relax, Mahira." He said. I shot him a look that took him by surprise. I was hoping that he saw the fire in my eyes.

"How can I relax? It's after me! It's going to kill me!!" I screamed, attempting to struggle out of Kiba's, now strong, grip on my arm. I was starting to panic now as I clawed at his arm, tears made their way down my cheeks. Kiba then grabbed my other arm, making impossible to claw him. I struggled as much as I could.

_I have ot get out of here!! _I thought, snapping at his arm. I caught it in my jaw at last and bit down hard. He screamed in pain but didn't let go. Instead, he pulled me into a hug. Not because he wanted to be close, but because he didn't want me to leave. I tried to squirm out of his hold. I did manage somehow to turn so I was looking at his face. He looked tired but determined.

"Why won't you let go of me?!" I screamed through my crying.

"Don't be afraid. All this fear is coming from that pill I gave you. It makes all of you stronger, including your emotions and fear." He said, wincing as I stabbed him in the side with my claws, which weren't long enough to kill him. He gripped me even tighter as I tried to jump out. Eventually, I knocked him over. I knew I had the advantage. I was now on top of him and I could easily get free now. Apparently he knew that too. He rolled over, pining me to the ground.

"Stop it!" He yelled. I stopped instantly. I had never heard him yell at me before. He was panting pretty hard as I just stared at him in shock.

"Just stop." He said, quieter. We were now in a very interesting position, I noticed. I was lying on my back, my hands in front of my chest in the defensive pose. Kiba was on his hands and knees, on top of me. I could have got out but I knew if I tried, all he would have to do was grab me. He looked at me in the eye, but his eyes were understanding, not mad like I thought they would be.

"I-I'm sorry." I said, in fear that he might hurt me to get me back.

"Please, Mahira, don't be afraid." He said, hearing the fear in my voice. I just looked at him. His expression changed. He looked shocked now. I mean, not _really _shocked, but that look a person makes when they just realize something.

"Wh-what?" I asked, even more afraid of him. He gently lied himself down next to me. I was no longer wanting to get away. My curiosity kept me prisoner. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. He was warm and his rhythmic breathing was relaxing. Soon, that breathing became uneven and choppy. I looked at his face and saw a single tear roll down his cheek. I was only a paper's width away from his face. I then thought that I was the reason he was crying.

_Maybe I did more damage than I should have. Did I bite him too hard? Claw him too much? _I thought, desperately.

"What's w-wrong?" I asked, afraid of the answer. He smiled.

"You're going to die." He said. My eyes widened.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The...the Ultimate Evil. It's chosen you." He said, crying even harder. "And it's all my fault." He said threw clenched teeth.

"No, you were just caught in the middle." I said, trying to comfort him.

"It's my fault, Mahira. If I had never talked to you, Kikai wouldn't have talked to Akamaru, I wouldn't have flipped out, and you and Kikai would never had gotten into that argument. I'm sorry." He said, closing his eyes and fighting more tears.

"Please stop crying." I whispered. He looked at me. "Look. If the Ultimate Evil has chosen me, you just need to be my Daiichi." I said, smiling at him. He thought for a minute.

"But I can't help you. I'm barely a ninja." He said.

"You don't need to be a ninja. You need to be a friend." I said, putting my hand on his face. He sighed.

"Come on." He said, getting up and holding his hand out. As he did this, I noticed bright red slashes down his arm. Without taking his hand, I shot up and took his arm in my hands.

"I hurt you!" I said.

"It doesn't really hurt." He said. I took his other arm and saw blood seeping out of horrific teeth marks. Then I felt terrible. I lifted the side of his shirt to reveal 4 punctures in his side, also bleeding.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I was so scared and I-"

"It's okay. It doesn't really hurt." He said.

"But I still hurt you-"

"No. You only hurt somebody if it _hurts_." He said. I started crying again. I didn't really know why this time. Maybe it was all the stress or the guilt. He pulled me closer to him and let me cry on his shoulder. It felt so right, staying in his arms.

"It's okay. I should have never given you that pill before you knew how to control it. Women may have difficulties with it. I'm sorry. You do feel physically better, don't you?" He asked, never changing his stance. I nodded.

"What is this pill that you gave me?" I asked, looking at his tear-stained face.

"It's a strength booster...and other. I usually use it when Akamaru and I are fighting. I knew it would make you feel better but I guess I never thought about how you would react to it." He said. I moved away from Kiba. I began to take off his sweater. Once I got it off, I tossed it to him. He looked confused.

"I've caused you so much trouble, Kiba." I said.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to look for Kikai by myself." I said.

"You can't!" He said, taking a step toward me.

"Why not?" I asked.

"The curse or evil or whatever you want to call it. I'm suppose to be your Daiichi." He said.

"Well, you're not technically my Daiichi. You don't love me. So, I could find another dog-boy and have him love me and have him be my Daiichi." Kiba looked crushed.

"I see. I didn't know I could be so easily replaced." He said.

"No, no, no, no, no! That's not what I meant! Nobody can replace you, Kiba. I know that I will never find another dog-person or person all together that would be like you. You're different. Trust me...if I didn't think so highly of you, I wouldn't be doing this. Remember me." I said as I turned to go. I felt him grab my arm and I turned to face me.

"Please...you're my best friend." He begged.

_He only thinks of me as a friend? _I thought. _Well, I guess I shouldn't expect much more. Again, he never was my Daiichi. I thought it might have been a possibility...but I guess not. _I thought.

"I'm sorry. I don't want you getting hurt any more. There will be much more dangerous things after me." I said.

"I don't care." He said, simply.

"You will if you die." I said.

"What exactly do you think I have to live for...besides you, of coarse." He said.

"Hana." I said. This surprised him. I doubt he was thinking about his sister at all.

"I won't die." He promised.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"It was fate that brought us together..." he walked closer to me, my arm still in his hand, "becoming your friend was choice..." his face got only an inch from mine, his eyes were soft and determined at the same time, "but falling in love with you was beyond my control." He said. He closed his eyes and kissed me. My heart skipped a beat. He pulled me closer and I closed my eyes. I felt like I was dreaming. I could only imagine the look on my sister's face if she saw me kissing a dog-boy. I wrapped my arms around his neck, working my fingers into his hair. When the kiss parted, I still felt like I was dreaming. He smiled, softly. I did too, not really grasping reality quite yet.

"Please." He whispered. I nodded.

"Okay...you've proved that your my Daiichi." I whispered, dreamily. He hugged my, lovingly.


End file.
